”The Band Plays On” is the debut album from BACK STREET CRAWLER, founded by guitarist Paul Kossoff. Kossoff was, of course, the guitarist in seminal British rock band Free and his fluid, soulful guitar fuelled the albums they made for the Island label.
This the debut album from BACK STREET CRAWLER, the band Kossoff formed after Free – not to be confused with the the solo album Kossoff released in 1972 under the title ‘Back Street Crawler’. “The Band Plays On” is the first BACK STREET CRAWLER band LP, a group that didn’t lasted long as unfortunately Paul Kossoff passed away a year after.
Paul was a not only a great talent, he was also a troubled soul, gentle at times and fiery at others. His lack of height and his red hair made him more volatile than others. The fact that he was also a drug addict made him unpredictable and unreliable but he was also in poor health as a result of his addictions.
Back Street Crawler was his attempt to regain what he’d lost since the demise of Free in 1973.
Back Street Crawler were a five piece band featuring Kossoff on guitars and Terry Wilson–Slesser (ex Beckett) on vocals, Mike Montgomery (keyboards), Terry Wilson (bass) and Tony Braunagel (drums), releasing their debut album, ‘The Band Plays On’ in 1975.
Wilson-Slesser could easily be mistaken for Rodgers on so much of this album, be it the song “Jason Blue” or “It’s a Long Way to the Top.” This material is classic mid-70s rock, before Foreigner made that whole world much slicker.
Back Street Crawler creates real bluesy hard rock art, taking this oh so seriously. The song “Jason Blue” is a powerful potion, one that would fit perfectly on a classic hits station, arguably one of the best tracks here. It is one of six compositions by Montgomery, the major force on this album. Montgomery co-writes two additional tunes and sings lead on “All the Girls Are Crazy” and “Survivor,” dueting with Terry Wilson-Slesser on “New York, New York” (a Mike Montgomery original, not the tune made famous by Liza Minelli and Frank Sinatra).
One thing this album does have is some great piano for Paul to play off, especially on the funkier tracks like ”Stealing My Way”, which sounds like it could be a lost Free track as it has their bluesy swagger to it.
And by the way, how many groups would have two guys named Terry Wilson in their band at the same time anyway? The bass player is named Terry Wilson.
The more you play ”The Band Plays On”, the more it grows on you. It is one of those albums that has enormous depth that can’t be heard on the first spin or two. Sounding so much like Bad Company on the same label was no doubt a drawback — the record’s showing up in the same section alphabetically at retail bins, their names so closely aligned, the unfortunate big difference for Back Street Crawler was no hit single emerging from this set.
Mike Montgomery’s vocal style on the excellent song “Survivor” isn’t as gritty as Wilson-Slesser, nor as commercial. Slesser would leave after this project to be replaced by John “Rabbit” Bundrick on vocal, who similarly joined Free when they needed his talents to replace members moving on.
One thing this album does have is some great piano for Paul to play off, especially on the funkier tracks like Stealing My Way, which sounds like it could be a lost Free track as it has their bluesy swagger to it.
“It’s a Long Way Down to the Top” could be Bad Company performing “Ready for Love,” down to the riff and the mood, but so many references to that band don’t take away from the fact that this is a solid ’70s blues-rock disc with hooks, top-notch production, and lots to offer.
Wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere down the road people started picking up on ”The Band Plays On”, songs like “New York, New York,” “It’s a Long Way Down to the Top,” and “Jason Blue” are ripe for being covered.
Tracklist:
01. Who Do Woman
02. New York , New York
03. Stealing My Way
04. Survivor
05. It's A Long Way Down To The Top
06. All The Girls Are Crazy
07. Jason Blue
08. Train Song
09. Rock & Roll Junkie
10. The Band Plays On
Personnel:
Paul Kossoff - guitar
Terry Wilson-Slesser - vocals
Terry Wilson - guitar, bass guitar
Tony Braunagel - drums
Mike Montgomery - keyboards, vocals
with:
Pete Van - baritone saxophone on "Jason Blue" & "Rock & Roll Junkie"
Eddie Quansah - trumpet, flugel horn on "Jason Blue" & "Rock & Roll Junkie"
George Lee - flutes, tenor & soprano saxophones on "Jason Blue" & "Rock & Roll Junkie"
Back Street Crawler – The Band Plays On 1975 (Wounded Bird 2004) Lossless+MP3
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